The Legend
There are a number of books that deal
exclusively with ‘Bodhidharma’ texts. Among them are The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma translated by Red Pine and The Bodhidharma Anthology translated by
Jeffrey L. Broughton.
When one asks, who is Bodhidharma, scholars
can become both forthright and scanty about the details. While I have read a lot
of accounts, reports and far fetching comments, Red Pine’s simple summary of practice could
suffice here for our purposes.
Bodhidharma is now the patriarch of
millions of Zen Buddhists. He is the subject of many legends (and Koans) as
well, yet it's become impossible to separate
fact from fiction. His dates are uncertain, in fact, there are some who doubt
that Bodhidharma ever existed.
What we do have relatively speaking, is the
reality of existing and historical texts which enlighten us to early Zen thought and practice.
They are bright expositions of early Chan (in Japanese, Zen). I find the texts
to be refreshingly "spartan" as well as being simple and skillful pointers to non-dual truth. This is
particularly true for our recent discussions and Teisho regarding the
Bloodstream Sermon etc.
Here now is Red Pine’s contextual
understanding of Bodhidharma's famous “Two Entrances and Four Practices”. I
thought it may be a reasonable passage for discussion.
Outline of Practice
“MANY roads lead to the Path, but basically
there are only two: reason and practice. To enter by reason means to realize
the essence through instruction and to believe that all living things share the
same true nature, which isn’t apparent because it’s shrouded by sensation and
delusion. Those who turn from delusion back to reality, who meditate on walls,’
the absence of self and other, the oneness of mortal and sage, and who remain
unmoved even by scriptures are in complete and unspoken agreement with reason.
Without moving, without effort, they enter, we say, by reason.
To enter by practice refers to four
all-inclusive practices: Suffering injustice, adapting to conditions, seeking
nothing, and practicing the Dharma. First, suffering injustice. When those who
search for the Path encounter adversity, they should think to themselves,
"In Countless ages gone by, I’ve turned from the essential to the trivial
and wandered through all manner of existence, often angry without cause and
guilty of numberless transgressions.
Now, though I do no wrong, I’m punished by
my past. Neither gods nor men can foresee when an evil deed will bear its
fruit. I accept it with an open heart and without complaint of injustice. The
sutras say " when you meet with adversity don’t be upset because it makes
sense." With such understanding you’re in harmony with reason. And by
suffering injustice you enter the Path. Second, adapting to conditions. As
mortals, we’re ruled by conditions, not by ourselves. All the suffering and joy
we experience depend on conditions. If we should be blessed by some great
reward, such as fame or fortune, it’s the fruit of a seed planted by us in the
past. When conditions change, it ends. Why delight In Its existence? But while
success and failure depend on conditions, the mind neither waxes nor wanes.
Those who remain unmoved by the wind of joy silently follow the Path.
Third, seeking nothing. People of this
world are deluded. They’re always longing for something-always, in a word,
seeking. But the wise wake up. They choose reason over custom. They fix their
minds on the sublime and let their bodies change with the seasons. All
phenomena are empty. They contain nothing worth desiring. Calamity forever
alternates with Prosperity! To dwell in the three realms is to dwell in a
burning house. To have a body is to suffer. Does anyone with a body know peace?
Those who understand this detach themselves from all that exists and stop
Imagining or seeking anything. The sutras say, "To seek is to suffer.
To seek nothing is bliss." When you
seek nothing, you’re on the Path. Fourth, practicing the Dharma.’ The Dharma is
the truth that all natures are pure. By this truth, all appearances are empty.
Defilement and attachment, subject and object don’t exist. The sutras say,
"The Dharma includes no being because it’s free from the impurity of
being, and the Dharma includes no self because it’s free from the impurity of
self." Those wise enough to believe and understand these truths are bound
to practice according to the Dharma. And since that which is real includes
nothing worth begrudging, they give their body, life, and property in charity,
without regret, without the vanity of giver, gift, or recipient, and without
bias or attachment. And to eliminate impurity they teach others, but without
becoming attached to form. Thus, through their own practice they’re able to
help others and glorify the Way of Enlightenment. And as with charity, they
also practice the other virtues. But while practicing the six virtues to
eliminate delusion, they practice nothing at all. This is what’s meant by
practicing the Dharma.”
Let’s start with the “Two Entrances”. Any
comments thoughts?
